Thread: Chemistry

When compared to cathode rays the deflection of anode rays in an electric field is very small. why?

The process by which anode rays are formed in a gas discharge anode ray tube is as follows. When the high voltage is applied to the tube, its electric field accelerates the small number of ions (electrically charged atoms) always present in the gas, created by natural processes such as radioactivity. These collide with atoms of the gas, knocking electrons off of them and creating more positive ions. These ions and electrons in turn strike more atoms, creating more positive ions in a chain reaction. The positive ions are all attracted to the negative cathode, and some pass through the holes in the cathode. These are the anode rays.
By the time they reach the cathode, the ions have been accelerated to a sufficient speed such that when they collide with other atoms or molecules in the gas they excite the species to a higher energy level. In returning to their former energy levels these atoms or molecules release the energy that they had gained. That energy gets emitted as light. This light-producing process, called fluorescence, causes a glow in the region where the ions emerge from the cathode.

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Gosh, you learn something new every day. Even at my age. I have never heard the term anode rays before.

When compared to cathode rays the deflection of anode rays in an electric field is very small. why?

I assume it is due to the difference in mass. Anode Cathode rays are electrons (low mass) while anode rays are ions (atoms missing one or more electrons) and so are much, much heavier. The force will be the same (assuming the ion is missing a single electron) so the deflection will depend on the mass. This is the basis of the mass spectrometer.

[I hope I haven't just answered your homework for you ... ]

Originally Posted by Strange

Gosh, you learn something new every day. Even at my age. I have never heard the term anode rays before.

When compared to cathode rays the deflection of anode rays in an electric field is very small. why?

I assume it is due to the difference in mass. Anode rays are electrons (low mass) while anode rays are ions (atoms missing one or more electrons) and so are much, much heavier. The force will be the same (assuming the ion is missing a single electron) so the deflection will depend on the mass. This is the basis of the mass spectrometer.

[I hope I haven't just answered your homework for you ... ]

I have also never heard the term "anode rays" before. IMO, anode ray intensity is extremely low, if origination is by the physics described by cosmictraveler. jocular